Letter: We must cut spending and increase revenue

We must cut spending and increase revenue

An an Independent, I offer some advice to the Republican Party. After the 2012 election, a lot was written about the Republican Party’s need to convince the public that it does represent the middle class. The party seemed to take that advice to heart, i.e., Mark Rubio and his “middle class” speech.

Now the sequester crisis is about to implode due to the Republicans’ failure to compromise. I say that because President Obama and the Democrats have made it clear that they would be willing to make cuts in spending if the Republicans would agree to some tax increases.

A voter doesn’t need to take Economics 101 to understand there are only two strategies to combat debt – cut spending and/or increase revenue. Given the seriousness of our debt problem, it’s not an unreasonable approach to use both strategies.

The Republicans’ refusal to allow tax increases by eliminating tax loopholes for corporate jets and tax subsidies to corporations exporting jobs is exactly what the majority of voters will see as the cause of the hardships that sequester will bring. Hardships that will fall primarily on the middle class. Thus confirming, once again, that Republicans do not care about the middle class; they only represent the wealthy.

This is certain to be viewed as unreasonable by the majority of voters. Don’t think the Democrats won’t remind the voters in 2014 that the last two years of hardship were due to the Republicans’ refusal to compromise. I’m surprised the Republicans don’t see that they could very well be playing right into the hands of the Democrats.